


That One Person

by DanieXJ



Category: Stargate SG-1, Stargate Universe
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-11
Updated: 2013-10-16
Packaged: 2017-11-20 22:05:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/590143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanieXJ/pseuds/DanieXJ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes there's that one person that you would do crazy things for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the story about what Camile and Sam would each do for their One. An SG-1/SGU crossover that takes place three years after Stargate Universe's Series Finale 'Gauntlet'.

Sam Carter sat alone at her table. A table held down by real gravity with food that was cooked in an oven, well, part of it was toasted in an oven of some sort she was sure. She glanced at her watch, still early, and took a bite of her BLT. When the waitress had put down the sandwich she’d given Sam’s watch a second look. Not many people wore them anymore, but even though now she was the CO of the George Hammond, had been for a few years, still, years of being on SG-1 had made the watch something like a part of her body. Though, as Teal’c had pointed out more than once, what good was a watch on another planet. Some of the intricacies of the US Air Force had been hard for him to comprehend in the beginning of his time with the Taur’i.

Sam looked up as someone sat down across from her. A woman, with curly, springy light brown hair and with a tired look about her. “You started without me Sam.”

Sam held out half her sandwich, and with a roll of her eyes the newcomer took it. “After weeks upon weeks -- you know where -- a whole BLT, half of one, or just a couple of real grapes. I’m happy with any of it Sharon.”

Sharon Walker smiled and took a bite. “Are you here for long?”

“A couple of weeks. How are you holding up?”

Sharon put down the sandwich and wiped her lips on her napkin. “In two days it’ll be three years, they said...”

Sam cut her friend off, “You know that it may not be exact, or--”

Sharon interrupted Sam right back, “I cannot, I can’t think of the or.”

Sam shook her head, “Three years, and no, hey,” Sam leaned down and rubbed her shin where Sharon had kicked it. “What the hell was that for?”

“10 years. Who has there been since Pete?”

Sam grumbled, “Ten years three months. I should have never told you about Pete, about any of it.”

Sharon put her hand on top of Sam’s, “You were holding in all that guilt for picking up with Pete after you and Janet had broken up. And you two made up...”

Sam sighed as she pulled her hand back, “And I’ll never know if it was for real, or it was because I was missing, again... And it, I, it hasn’t...” Sam sighed again, “It’s been easy since I started letting people think that Jack and I-- instead of trying to dissuade them.”

“How does Jack feel about this?”

A small smile came to Sam’s face, “He thinks it’s hilarious actually.”

Sam changed the subject, “How is the interior for the new ship coming?”

Sharon shrugged, “I’m not sure why they keep asking me back. All the Chinese and Russians did for their ship ‘interiors’ was copy my designs.”

That drew a chuckle from Sam, “Sorry. but you do single family houses all the time, you should know that all us crazy Americans want the same and yet totally different.”

They lapsed into a silence only interrupted by the waitress as she appeared, took Sharon’s drink order and came back with it. When both had finished their half of the BLT Sam spoke, “I’m still astounded you know, an Architect and Camile Wray...”

“...paper pusher--” Sharon smiled, “How we ever worked? Why I learned Mandarin, why she humored me, took art classes. Why I haven’t moved on?” She cocked her head to one side, “What about why you and Janet were only together for two years, and yet, here you are still waiting for her. I was with Camile for forteen, seventeen if you count these past three years, which...” She closed her eyes for a moment, “I do.” She looked back at Sam, “You won’t even take over for Landry and take a promotion because of it.”

Sam sighed into her drink, “We were together one year, seven months, twelve days, no, five days, there was the damn week with Pete.” She finally met Sharon’s eyes, “I guess you make good points. Guess we’re both just really, really pathetically in love.” She finished off the drink and folder he hands, “How’s Maryann doing?”

Sharon sighed, “Not good, her HIV turned into AIDS. After all you and everyone have and have done you’d think-- You’d think that there would have been something to combat AIDS or HIV in those travels.” Sharon shook her head, “Sorry, I feel like I’m losing yet someone else.”

“That’s ah--” Sam shook her head, “that’s one of the downsides to doing what we do. Loss and a hell of a lot of it.”

Sam stood and Sharon followed suit, “Do you think Maryann would be up for some company?”

Sharon nodded, “She always is. C’mon, I’ve been teaching her Mandarin.”

Sam rolled her eyes with a smile, “You do know that there are quite a few Chinese people who speak Mandarin in this world. I don’t think that they need for you to create more speakers of their language.”

Sharon responded to Sam’s joking with seriousness, “Actually it is the hardest language that I know, and I thought that maybe if she has something-- undone-- unfinished that she’ll make it long enough to see her son, even if it’s just through someone else. She was, she had HIV for over a decade and I think I forgot, I started to think, with everything I’ve seen--”

“That she had beaten the unbeatable. I understand what you’re saying. So, let’s go visit.”

They stopped by Sharon’s car, “Ah, and just one warning, she’ll probably grill you about Eli and if his plan’s going to work.”

Sam put a hand on Sharon’s shoulder, “Don’t worry, I’m pretty used to being a know it all, and what do you think the first question I was asked when I disembarked was?”

oOOOOo

The short brunette slowly walked down the row of stasis pods. She’d already been to the bridge and shut down the FTL drive and turned off the automatic wake up sequence that one of the brains on board had programmed. She’d done a lot of things in the quiet time she’d had on board Destiny. She was meditating on who would be the best to wake up first. Probably one of the civilians. She didn’t want to have a gun pointed at her right away.

She’d known some of the people in stasis in her previous life and some were new to her. Before she’d come to the stasis pod section she’d taken a few hours and gone over all the Kino footage and then personnel files that a Camile Wray had entered.

Camile was the brunette’s first choice to be the first to awaken. On one hand she had been the IOA Representative on Icarus Base at one point, but on the other hand, some of the final entries about both the military and non-military crew had had a tinge of caring about them.

She stood in front of Camile’s pod and with a nod tapped a sequence of buttons. The inside of the pod seemed to defrost and the door opened to a blinking Camile.

The woman took a step back to let Camile out of the pod. The former IOA Rep frowned, “Aren’t you supposed to be dead?”

oOOOOo

“Colonel Carter--” Maryann Wallace shot Sharon a look, “Sharon didn’t say she was bringing someone with her, and a--”

Sam gently interrupted Maryann, “Friend, and, since you’re not anywhere near my command, please, call me Sam.”

Maryann sat at her kitchen table, “Do you plan to harangue me like,” she pointed at Sharon, “this one does?”

“No, I don’t.”

Sharon mumbled, “Suck up.”

And that managed to bring a smile to Maryann’s face, “Girls, girls. Co-- Sam, you’re, on leave?”

Sam nodded, “I am. Doesn’t happen often, but the ship needs an overhaul. Our last fight took out some systems that we could only partially repair en route.”

Maryann glanced out her window, “Is it up there somewhere?”

Sam smiled and sat with a shake of her head, “No. We have a planet with a gate, it’s there.”

Maryann sighed, “What you’ve seen.”

“I’ve seen a lot, yes, but like you, like Sharon, I’d give it all up for one person.”

Maryann was silent for a moment, and then asked the question that had been hanging in the room since Sam and Sharon had arrived, “Do you, do you think that it’ll work, that they’re out there somewhere, waking up?”

“I--” Sam folded her hands on the table as Sharon sat down, “I honestly don’t know. But I can give you my opinion.” Maryann nodded, “Your son solved a problem that I couldn’t, Doctor Rush or Doctor Mckay couldn’t. He’s still a kid in a lot of ways, but not when it comes to math, science, and the equations he used to calculate the Destiny’s jump. And really--” A twinkle came to Sam’s eyes, “do you think the universe’s gonna kill Doctor Nicholas Rush?”

That brought a small smile to Maryann’s lips, “You may have a point there Sam.”

Sam sat back, “But, I can’t tell you for sure anything. We won’t know anything unless they use the stone, but, we’re still manning them twenty-four, seven, just, uh, don’t tell the appropriations committee that.”

That got a chuckle from both women. And Maryann breathed out, “What this one--” she glanced at Sharon, “is saying isn’t true you know. I am, I’m worried that I’ll never see or hear from Eli again, but, the meds, they aren’t working.”

“Do you have a piece of paper?”

Maryann stood and went to a table by the phone. She came back with a piece of paper and pen, “Did a plan for how to save the world just come to you?”

“Nah.” Sam smiled as she wrote, “Actually you can’t really plan for how to save the world. Generally it’s a by the seat of your pants thing.”

Sharon winced, “I don’t think I needed to know that.”

Sam handed over the paper, “A doctor, a friend of-- of Janet’s. She’s good, better than good.”

“Thank you. I’ve always fought the world alone, except for Eli...”

She trailed off and Sam put her hand on top of Maryann’s. “Now, I may be biased, but, we need teams in this world. Teams are what keep us alive and sane. Sharon’s your team, and she brought me, a pinch hitter, in, and I hope that you bring in my pinch runner. What, what?”

Maryann rolled her eyes with a smile and Sharon gave Sam a pat on the shoulder, “Keep your day job Sam. That particular metaphor may have gone just a bit too far.”

Sam crossed her arms over her chest, “I’m a doctor, not a writer--”


	2. Chapter 2

“We need to, are we...” Camile stopped moving and talking and just stood in silence for a moment. She tilted her head to one side, “We’re not in FTL.”

“No.”

Camile met the short brunette’s gaze, “Are we drifting?”

The woman shook her head, “You should have more faith in the young one.” The woman paused, “If we wake up Colonel Young will he shoot me?”

Camile considered the question, “Possibly. Why-- why are you here?”

The woman glanced down at her hands. “Let’s get your friends out of stasis, then maybe I’ll tell my tale.”

Camile’s eyes followed the supposedly killed in action Doctor Janet Fraiser as she went to the stasis control and started shutting down each of the rooms of pods.

Camile stood there and watched as Rush, Young, TJ, Greer, Parks and Eli stepped out of their pods. She had no doubt that the rest of the Destiny’s ‘crew’ was doing the same in the other rooms. The atmosphere brimmed with happiness in a way that it hadn’t, almost ever on Destiny.

Camile stood in the middle of it, smiling, hugging, speaking when spoken too, but mostly she watched as Janet interacted with everyone. She wasn’t wrong. Janet had been dead. Camile had been with the NID division of the IOA at that point. She hadn’t yet been relegated by the IOA to a planet in the middle of nowhere, a planet on the brink of exploding.

Not only were there witnesses to Janet’s death, witnesses who had tried to resuscitate her and had not been successful, but there was also video evidence that she’d taken a staff blast directly to the chest. But, it was true that the SG teams hadn’t been able to take the body with them, and when the then Major Carter and Doctor Jackson finally badgered their superiors to let them go back, the body hadn’t been there. But, according to their reports, they hadn’t suspected ascension because there had been absolutely no trace of her, and leaving the clothes behind seemed to be a side effect of moving to a higher plane.

Camile got pulled from her reverie by a hand on her shoulder, “Camile, the woman, who woke us up...”

“Janet Fraiser, Lieutenant Colonel in your Air Force.”

Young nodded, “She’s supposed to be dead, correct?”

“She is, KIA February 10th, 2004.”

Young studied Camile, “Do I wanna know why you know so much about her?”

Camile frowned, “Haven’t you ever wondered why I got stuck on the Icarus planet?”

A bit of a smirk came to Young’s face, “I always thought it was your delightful personality.”

“Funny, very funny. I know Janet Fraiser because I-- participated in an-- investigation into Doctor Fraiser as well as Carter around the time that Doctor Fraiser died. Into whether or not they were, involved. I dropped it.”

Young glanced at Janet, and back to Camile, “That doesn’t sound like you.”

“I was quite pissed off that when they heard about rumors about the two of them they had immediately called for an investigation, but for years had entirely disregarded the rumors that she and her CO, Colonel O’Neil were having an affair. They picked the wrong woman to lead the investigation.” Young looked confused, “Colonel, I’m gay.”

Young cleared his throat, “Ah, yes, of course.”

Camile laughed so loud that almost everyone glanced over at them. Young raised his eyebrows, “Nothing to see. I obviously made a joke.”

“No,” Camile shook her head, “Not really.” She leaned against a closed pod door, “All I had to do was come across a couple of galaxies before I got a boss who doesn’t give a damn about Sharon.” The smile left her face, “Three years. You should check in.”

Young shook his head, “No, but we need to check in.” He cleared his throat. “Rush, Scott, we’ll check out the stones. Eli, Volker, Brody, the bridge. Let’s see how the ship is doing. TJ, Chloe supplies, our store, see what hydroponics looks like too. Greer, let’s see what the ship looks like, take a few teams, go over the parts of the ship we’ve been through all ready.” He looked around at everyone, “We have lots of work to do, but according to Doctor Fraiser we’re not drifting in the middle of nowhere. Let’s take advantage of that.”

And just like that everyone split into groups, knowing what they could do for the ship. Janet started to follow TJ, but was stopped by Young’s voice, “Doctor Fraiser it would be better if--”

Janet cut him off, “With respect sir,” she paused, a grin appearing on her face, “old habits die hard I guess. I need some time before... before I appear back on Earth.”

Camile frowned, “You don’t want us to tell Homeworld Command that you’re here?”

“I know, makes it seem like I’m hiding something. I’m not. I just--”

Camile regarded Janet, “Well, if they don’t ask--” She glanced at Young who was shooting her a look, “--and I sincerely doubt that they would ever think to ask.”

Young considered Camile’s words and finally shook his head, “What are they going to do, take away my command. You may be a clone, or replicator, or who knows what else. Perhaps you’re a mass hallucination caused by the ship. But, you haven’t hurt us so far, and we could surely use an M.D. on this ship. TJ and Chloe will show you the infirmary.”

“Thank you.”

Young shook his head, “If you’re not with us. I will kill you. We’re not on Earth anymore. Camile...”

Camile, with a frown on her face, and Young left the hallway, leaving TJ, Janet and Chloe alone in it. “Colonel Fraiser.”

Janet cut her off, “We’re way past the Air Force’s ranks. Not to mention, if I’m still technically dead I’m not sure if I’m still in the Air Force. So, if it’s okay, I’ll call you TJ and you can call me Janet.” Janet looked to Chloe, “Everyone can, please.”

TJ nodded, “The infirmary’s this way. We had everyone’s medical records when we escaped Icarus, and now they’re in Destiny’s computer. I’ve tried to keep them up to date.”

Chloe chimed in, “She’s kept us alive as well as any doctor could.”

Janet glanced between the two women, “I read some of the mission reports before I woke you up. You’ve done better than many doctors from Earth could have.”

Chloe spoke up again, “But, you think you could have done better.”

Janet stopped in the doorway of the infirmary and glanced around, “I don’t think anything. I could have, but... I have, I had seven years of Stargate, Goa’uld, Replicator, Reetou, and so many other forms of craziness before I died to draw from. Once got hung up and duplicated by an alien species, there were the delightfully high pitched all white fellows, I could go on.” She stepped into the infirmary and took a breath, “So, what do we count first?”

oOOOOo

“Colonel Telford.”

“Colonel Carter. I would think you’re-- above sitting with the stones.”

She touched one as she sat down next to Telford, “Mooney had a family emergency. I was checking in and volunteered to take her place. I’ve never been to Destiny.”

“Do you really think that the video game playing Eli got them across the expanse succesfully?”

“I do. Obviously you don’t.”

Telford shrugged, “And we wouldn’t want you to never have been on Destiny would we Colonel.” He looked her up and down, “Generally we wear uniforms so whomever we switch with--”

Sam cut him off, “Knows what your name is-- probably not the fir--” She went silent, then blinked a couple of times. There were two mirrors in front of the chairs so the new inhabitants of the bodies could see where they’d ended up after the switch took place.

The person in Sam’s body picked up the mirror and looked at who she was in, “Ah, damnit. Now they’re both on Destiny.”

oOOOOo

Sam was on Destiny. She glanced around. It was dark as hell. A throat cleared and Sam looked over, “I’m Lieutenant Scott.”

Sam didn’t get to answer as Telford stood, “Lieutenant Scott, you’re with me.”

Scott glanced back at Sam, then shook his head and followed after Telford in Young’s body. That left Sam sitting there, Rush studying her.

Rush broke the silence, “Did you switch Camile?”

Sam laughed, “That’s-- no Nicholas, I’m not Ms. Wray. So, Mr. Wallace’s calculations were correct and you all survived your journey. There are many people back home who will be happy to know that. So, what’s next for Destiny Nicholas?”

Rush was silent and Sam let her borrowed lips crease into a smile, “You can’t figure out who I am. You assume that I’m a military officer, probably Air Force, but everyone in the Air Force calls you Doctor Rush, or Rush. So, have you worked on the brightness in this dingy place?”

Rush started to answer but was interrupted by the squawk of the walkie talkie, “Eli to Rush, we have a problem in the Infirmary.”

Sam took the walkie off her own belt and pressed the button. “We’re on our way.” She stood and didn’t wait for Rush.

He caught up with her after she’d cleared the doorway and was in the hall. “You believe you could help?”

Sam ran a hand over the walls, “Well, she’s a bit primitive, sure, but yes, I can.”

They turned a corner and entered the infirmary. Rush gave a hurf, “Eli, we have--”

“Oh my God, my God.”

Eli, Chloe, TJ and Janet all turned to face the doorway where Sam, in Camile’s body stood statue still her heart trying to escape her chest. She pitched forward and was only barely caught by Rush. TJ and Janet were at her side in a moment.

Janet spoke first, “Does Camile have any underlying conditions?” They moved Sam’s unconscious body to the nearest bed.

“No.”

Rush interrupted TJ, “Camile’s consciousness is not in her body. She and Young used the stones to report to Homeworld Command. I-- ahm, I’m not quite sure who it is in Camile’s body.”

Sam groaned and her eyes blinked open, “I-- Colonel Samantha Carter.”

Janet took a step back, “This is a joke?”

Sam put a hand over her eyes, “No. Ancient long range communication devices. You switch bodies with the person at the other end. Camile Wray’s in my body back on Earth, I’m in hers here.” Sam shook her head and leaned it back against the pillow for a moment.

Rush spoke up, “What was the problem Eli?”

Eli gestured to the computer up against one of the walls. “Everything else on board has come up fine. We’ll need to find a sun and recharge soon, although there’s a little leeway now that we’re not trying to jump galaxies. But this station is just dark. I can’t figure out why, and according to the computer it is working.”

Sam laughed, which got a quizzical look from Eli. No one spoke as Sam winced and got out of the bed. She walked over to the console. She glanced at it from one angle, then another. She knelt on one knee and opened the control interface for a moment, then closed it and stood. Without turning she spoke, “Have you tried a Fonzie?”

As the rest of them frowned at the reference, Janet chuckled. Sam brought her hand back and gave the side of the console a mighty whack. It sprang to life and Sam looked down at the hand that stung way more than it should have, “Oops, I think Camile might wind up with a bruise. Whoa--”

Everyone stood, surprised and still as they watched Janet grab Sam by the arm and drag her from the infirmary. Eli cleared his throat, “Uh, so, now I-- I should get back to the bridge, but you should be able to run the tests on Janet’s... whatever.”

oOOOOo

The door of the storage room banged closed, “Atlantis is much more adv--”

She didn’t get to finish her thought as Janet’s very real lips covered her borrowed ones.

It was Janet who broke off the kiss. “I love you Sam, but--”

Sam smirked and just for a second Janet saw through the body switch, saw Sam. “Wrong angles, and after all these times you complained about me being too tall.”

Janet took a hand in her own and studied it. “You haven’t asked.”

“I don’t want to know.”

“I ascended.” She paused and shook her head, mostly in wonder. “On my own.”

That got Sam’s attention and she looked down at their intertwined hands. “You ascend, don’t tell me for ten years, then descend-- in the, practically in the Delta Quadrant?”

Janet chuckled a little at the reference and raised Sam’s chin, “They need me, and they will get home. As for the ten years-- I wasn’t-- it’s complicated.”

oOOOOo

“Sam, you’re back?”

Camile frowned, “Back?” A thread of worry shot through her body.

“Back, as in returned, we saw each other less than two hours ago. Is something wrong with Maryann?”

Camile frowned, then let a breath out, Sharon and Sam hadn’t been alone. “Maryann, no, no, actually, I wouldn’t know. May I come in?” It felt weird saying that, but her life had turned on its ear the second she’d accepted the position at the NID/IOA.

Sharon frowned as she took a step back, “You wouldn’t know? Are you feeling alright Sam? We just spent the afternoon with her.”

Camile stared at the painting of the boat and beach. It was still in its place. “Did you ever think of sleeping with... me?”

Sharon blinked in surprise, then watched as who she’d thought was Sam ran her finger along the frame of the painting. A twinkle came to Sharon’s eyes, “Well, you’re very, very hot, that is true. But, there’s this one gargantuan problem. The woman I love, Ms. Camile Wray, sure, she was all stoic and tried to tell me to move on three years ago. Of course, she only asked me the once, and it took years and years of begging and pleading with me before I got rid of the chair...” Sharon paused, “And, truth be told, get rid of may be a bit of an exaggeration, Moved the chair would be a more apt description of what I did.”

Camile didn’t know Sam’s strength, so instead of rushing into Sharon’s arms, they both wound up on the floor in a pile. “Shar--”

“Cami--”

Camile put her fingers over Sharon’s mouth, “It’s just a chair Sharon, but... that’s for later, much, much later.”


	3. Chapter 3

Camile flexed her hand a bit, “What in the world did she do to my hand. Punch a robot?”

TJ winced, “She wouldn’t let me check it. Colonel Carter I mean.”

“Would you?”

“Of course, so, it’s back to business as usual.”

Camile nodded, “Although, now we apparently have a doctor on board. Is she-- herself?”

TJ nodded, “According to all the tests I’ve run, yes. Human female, I don’t have her... original... DNA to compare the current Janet’s to, but for what it’s worth the DNA is consistent with itself. It looks like all Colonel Carter gave you was a bone bruise, nothing is broken.” TJ put away the device, “Colonel Carter never even, I didn’t know she’d hurt it that bad. I guess she has a high threshold for pain.” TJ handed Camile an envelope, “She wanted me to give you this. I’m pretty sure she had to kill someone to get the paper.”

Camile took the envelope and stared down at it, “Thank you, I think.”

TJ looked around the infirmary. “We survived, I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.”

“Living is always good.”

TJ shook her head and went back to her supplies. Camile watched her for a moment. She was never quite sure what was going on in TJ’s head. She’d had the lost baby, and then the realization that she would develop ALS. But through it all she’d had a place on board, an irreplaceable place, the doctor, or at least the one with the most medical training. Now without that, Camile worried that everything would come crashing down.

Before Camile could open the letter Janet strolled in, looking as though she owned the place. TJ seemed to sense the same thing as she stopped what she was doing, turned and seemed to come to attention. “Janet.”

Janet smiled just a bit, “Now, you see, even thought you said Janet, it sounded much more like a ma’am.” Janet turned to Camile, “Am I correct?”

Camile nodded, “It did. But, it was you who also said old habits die hard if I recall.”

Janet tilted her head to one side, “I can see why no one liked you.”

Camile and Janet stared at each other for a moment, the tension could have been cut with a spoon. Then both started laughing, catching TJ by surprise. Camile held up the letter. “Do you know what’s in the letter?”

“No, but I could guess. Something along the lines of, take good care of Janet Fraiser or else.” Janet shook her head, “She’s overprotective, but-- I was too.”

TJ spoke from the back of the infirmary. “Why did you come back?”

Janet glanced over her shoulder, “Everyone here has assumed I chose to come back.”

Before Camile or TJ could try to suss that out, Lisa Park entered the infirmary. “TJ, I thought I’d get my check up and... I can hear breathing.”

Camile spoke, “It’s Camile and Janet Fraiser.”

Lisa stuck out her hand, “Now, if I’m nowhere near you, I’d appreciate if you’d pretend I am.”

Janet shook Lisa’s hand with a laugh, “I hear you’re the resident gardener. Did any of it survive the galaxy jump?”

Lisa laughed, “You haven’t been to hydroponics have you?” Lisa paused, “Why do you know who I am?”

Camile frowned, “Janet’s just--”

Janet put a hand on Lisa’s shoulder, “You were supposed to join the SGC at Cheyenne Mountain under Doctor Lee, you’re a scientist. A very, very good one.” Janet paused, “Will you show me the hydrobay?”

“Really?” Lisa sounded gobsmacked, “Right, of course.” She held out her elbow and Janet took it. They exited and Janet let Lisa lead her towards hydroponics. “Do you know anything about medicinal plants?”

“Medicinal, herbs, pretty planets, veggies. But it was just a backyard garden I had at... at home. Some years it was pretty thin, others, when the Goa’uld were thinning too, it was... oh wow.”

Lisa smiled, “We’re here.”

Janet let go of the scientist and they both walked into the room. “Let life be and it will live.” The hydroponics bay was a forest of plants and vines and it even looked like there was a tree in there.

Lisa turned to face Janet, even though she couldn’t see the doctor, “Who said that?”

Janet ran her hand along a leaf, “I’m not sure, maybe just me. I’d like to help. Believe it or not, I can take orders with the best of them.”

“We have a lot of people who...” Lisa shook her head, “Uh, someone said, they said that you were ascended, an Ancient?”

They slowly made their way through the jungle, “I did ascend, yes, though only the Alterans are the Ancients really.”

Lisa sat on a bit of bench that looked like it had been cleared, though Janet stayed standing. “Do you remember... things from when you were ascended?”

“I do.” She paused, “I wasn’t-- ascended like Daniel or the others that Oma helped. I, somehow I did it myself.”

Lisa’s brows furrowed, “You don’t know how you did it?”

Janet closed her eyes for a moment, “It was, it was chaotic those moments after Daniel and everyone left, I... there was peace, uh, and Leonard Cohen was going through my head.”

Lisa blinked, stunned silent for a moment, “Really? Your final... thoughts, before you moved on from your body was... was... Hallelujah?”

Janet cleared her throat, “Ah, yes... unfortunately.”

Lisa grasped for Janet’s hand and the former doctor sat down, “Will you help me?”

“Ascend?” Janet took her hand away and stood, “No.”

Lisa sighed, “Get my eye sight back.”

That made Janet fall silent, “TJ--”

“Is amazing, but she’s not a doctor, you are, were, are... Please.” Lisa stood. “I-- everyone thinks I’m okay with it, and maybe, maybe eventually I will be if I have to be this way for the rest of my life, but-- I still have the--”

Janet interrupted Lisa, “stuff back there.”

Lisa smiled a little, “Something like that, yes.”

Janet was silent for long that if it hadn’t been for the breathing then Lisa would have wondered if Janet had just left her alone in the hydroponics bay. “Alright. There are conditions. I don’t... other than this, for you, I’m not sure if I can, if I can be a doctor again.”

“Janet?”

Janet cut her off, “And you don’t get to expect, well, anything, alright? I’m not a miracle worker, I never was.”

Lisa cleared her throat, “Yes, ah, that’s not what I heard.”

Janet groaned and took a hold of Lisa’s arm, “C’mon, let me go get a baseline, then we should probably start hacking away in here.”

They started back towards the infirmary, “TJ’s not really that fragile you know. She can take you... taking over.”

Janet glanced backwards out the big window of the bay, “This isn’t about TJ.”

oOOOOo

“Hey, hey, HEY!”

Sam blinked and looked over at a blurry brown haired man. “Wha?”

“Sam, you need to sleep. really.”

“Daniel?”

Daniel shook his head and put his hand on the keyboard to move it away. “This isn’t good for you, or for her, wherever she is.”

Sam pinched her nose and shook her head, “No, I’m fine, and I almost have it. Just... leave me be, please.”

Daniel cleared his throat and Teal’c appeared in the doorway. Sam shook her head, “I’m fine, really, I’m....” she made an unidentifiable noise as Teal’c picked her up with what looked like no effort. “Put me down damnit, I have it, I’m....”

Sam jerked as she felt a pinch against her arm and her eyes focused furiously on Daniel. “You, drugged me?”

Both men let out sighs of relief as Sam went limp in Teal’c arms. “Well, that was easier than I thought it’d be.”

“Indeed.”

oOOOOo

“Birds of Prey was an underrated show you know.”

Lieutenant Scott and Eli looked at Janet as if she were crazy. Scott frowned, “What?”

Eli nodded, “Ashley Scott was hot. But, it was too much a show about feelings.”

Scott shook his head, “We’re here to gather food, not talk about.... nerd culture.”

“It was one of the shows I could get Sam to watch too.” Janet shook here head and then looked up at the sky, then inclined her head and glanced from one side to another, “Trees, real ones, and a sky. It’s been awhile.”

They walked along, stopping here and there to study a planet a bit closer. There were two other teams on the surface as well, but they’d spread out. Eli hadn’t been sure about having Janet on their team, he always preferred Chloe, but, apparently Janet was a talker. “Are you ever planning on telling us the whole story, ascension, de-cension, all that stuff?”

Janet paused by a plant that really, really looked like a blueberry bush. She picked off one of the small blue pellets and handed it to Eli, “I haven’t decided yet.” She glanced over at the young man, “Does that worry you?”

Eli chuckled, “Not me, no, but Rush and the Colonel...” Eli looked over at Scott, who stared at the ground as he walked along, and didn’t comment. “They wonder why you came back, why here, why now. If you helped us.”

“Ulterior motives huh.” Eli shrugged, “Well, this looks sort of like a blueberry doesn’t it.” She popped it in her mouth, both Eli and Scott nearly diving to stop her, but they were too late as she swallowed with a smile on her face. “Oh yes, tastes pretty like one too...”

“Ma’am, that was...”

“Stupid?” Janet tilted her head to one side and pointed at what looked like a cross between a raccoon and a squirrel chomping on a whole pile of the berries. “Actually, I’m very smart Lieutenant. Shall we radio in?”

oOOOOo

Sam blinked up into the harsh glare of the infirmary lights. Dr. Lam appeared with a smile on her face, “Ah, good, good, you’re awake.”

Sam rubbed at her eyes, “They drugged me?”

Carolyn nodded, “Used a bit too much tranquilizer. But, they were right in one respect...”

“I can’t Carolyn, I just... I’m so close, I can feel it.”

Carolyn shook her head, “I have two MPs here who will accompany you to your house...”

“Two?” She paused, “I can’t.”

Carolyn inclined her head, “Alright then, I’ll call in the big guns.” Carolyn cleared her throat and a tall brunette appeared. “She’s all yours Ms. Fraiser.”

Sam groaned and let her head fall to the pillow. “Hell Lam.”

Cassandra smiled, “Doctor Lam, may I administer the sedative this time?”

Carolyn started to respond, but Sam cut her off, “No, no, I’m going home. I assume that the collaborator is going with me?”

Cassandra smirked just a bit, “Oh, and we’re going to have a long talk. Loonngggg....”

Sam sighed, “I thought I was supposed to be resting.”

The smile went from Cassandra’s lips, “No, first you get to explain why the hell you haven’t called me about the fact that my... MOTHER... is alive yet.”

Sam looked to Carolyn who shook her head and pointed at the two burly looking MPs standing at the entrance to the infirmary. “Rest.”

Sam looked into Cassandra’s eyes and then took a deep breath and nodded. “Right. Maybe some food too. I think I have some beef patties from the summer.”

“That aren’t green?”

Sam stuck a hand out to her almost daughter, “Just give me my clothes and pull the curtain and we can get out of here, right?” She looked at Carolyn again and the doctor nodded.


	4. Chapter 4

“Why are you here?”

“GAahh--” Janet clutched at her chest with one, the other held the clippers up in front of herself. She cleared her throat. “Colonel, sir, you surprised me.”

Young looked at the clippers and up to Janet. Janet lowered them. “You still called me sir. You Still feel as though you’re in the Air Force?”

Janet put the clippers down, she had planted some of the plants they had gotten from the planet in the quarantine part of the hydroponics bay, and then had gone back to work hacking at the weeds that seemed to be sort of supernatural. And she took off her too big gloves. “That seems to be a moot point at the moment doesn’t it. When we get back to Earth I will submit to their tests and they’ll either take me back or not.”

“When we get home?” He ran a hand through his hair, “When will that be?”

Janet’s head titled to one side, “Are you planning on keeping us here?”

“There are no planets in the Milky Way that will be powerful enough to dial our gate. And the last time we tried dialing home we wound up creating a whole new civilization.”

Janet put back on her gloves, picked up the clippers and resumed her working cutting back the flora in the bay. “I’ve faced off against scarier COs than you sir.”

“Why did you return?”

Janet’s nose twitched and then a gigantic sneeze erupted from her, “Ack-- how the hell did you get ragweed in space?” She cleared her throat, “All that matters is I’m here, and we will get home.”

Young crossed his arms over his chest, “Why did you come back?”

Janet’s hands went to her waist and she stood to her tallest, “It’s really none of your business. So that leaves you with two choices-- sir. Accept who I am and let me help you and your crew, or don’t and lock me in a room.”

Young didn’t move for another moment, then shook his head and left the hydroponics bay. 

From just inside the door, behind a not yet trimmed plant came a laugh, “You scare me just a bit Janet, and I can’t even see you.”

Janet rolled her eyes, “I think that both you and Colonel Young will live.”

Lisa ran her hand along the leaf of a soft, felt like plant. “If I asked you why you came back, would you tell me?”

Janet clipped a leaf, “Probably.”

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments, before Lisa spoke again, “Should we try composting the leaves?”

“Definitely. Has Eli figured out how--” she glanced around, “--this forest happened when it all should have died?”

Lisa shook her head, “Nope. And boy Doctor Rush didn’t like that Eli was even looking.”

Janet shook her head, “The answer to everything. The pattern in the universe.” She sighed, “So, I know what someone would need to get the SGC to dial us. What would we need to dial home?”

“Much more power, specifically a SEED ship. We tried a sun, but Colonel Young told you what happened then.”

Janet made her way slowly down the row, letting the cuttings fall at her feet as she went, “You’ve come across one of these ships?”

“We did. Ja--”

“I’ve just started working on your problem. I know it’s a bad word, but patience. Please.”

Lisa carefully walked to a wall and got a broom that someone had made. She started to seep at the debris Janet was leaving. “There’s an area at the back of the bay that I hadn’t planted yet, just weeds. It would be good for the compost.”

“Sounds good. Lisa, can you tell me what it feels like when you try to see?”

Lisa frowned, “Feels like? You’re trying to determine whether it’s irreversible? It’s not like I can see shadows or prickly sprinkles of light. I’m a burned out bulb.”

“Well, I’ll keep looking in the database. Ancient and-- uh--”

“Novans. Favorite plant?”

Janet responded with, “Flowering or useful?”

Lisa chuckled, “Useful?”

Janet shook her hand as it got pricked by something, “Herbs, Veggies, Fruit.”

“Ah, useful.”

“Aloe.”

“Boring.” Janet smiled as Lisa continued, “Flowering?”

Janet winced, “Is it bad to say roses? I think it’s the smells, though some of the colors can be beautiful too.”

“Does Sam know that?”

Janet smiled, “She learned fast, yes. She’s a smart woman.”

Lisa paused, silent for a moment, “Is she smarter than Rush and Eli? Volker? The rest of them?”

“Sam Carter is Eli’s raw smarts combined with Rush’s experience. So, yes. She’ll get us home.” She changed the subject, “So, lead me to the compost pile spot, and we’ll properly stink up the place.” She paused, “Then I’d like to give your eyes a couple of tests.”

“Smells good to me.”

Janet chuckled.

oOOOOo

Sam jerked as her eyes opened, “Hell Cassie.”

Cassandra sat back in the chair that she’d put next to the living room couch, “Tell me everything. Did she even really die?”

Sam pushed herself up and frowned at Cassandra, “Do you think I could fake my heart being ripped out?”

Cassandra cleared her throat and looked down at her hands for a second. Sam saw the same kid that she couldn’t leave alone to die in the bunker. Sam put her hands over Cassandra’s and spoke, “She supposedly ascended. I was sitting with Colonel Telford at the stones when Destiny re-initiated contact. She was there, just-- there, in the flesh.”

“Is it her?” Cassandra met Sam’s gaze again, “For real?”

Sam nodded, “I think so, it felt like her.”

Cassandra made a face, “Eww... way too much information.”

That brought a small smile to Sam’s face, “I’m sorry, I was--”

“--trying to stabilize the dialing of the ninth chevron. Yeah--” Cassandra sat back in the chair, “Uncle Daniel told me that.” She cleared her throat, “Uh, I sort of lit into the lot of ‘em for nearly killing you.”

Sam squeezed Cassandra’s hands, “You’ve always been a fighter.”

Cassandra coughed out a laugh, “Yeah, usually fighting with you and Mom.”

“Why did you never call me Aunt Sam?”

Cassandra blinked, “Non sequitur much?” Sam just watched Cassandra, “‘Cause, you’re not like Uncle Jack, or Daniel, or Teal’c. Although, I never called him Uncle, because it just sounded weird. You’ve always scolded me like a Mom, just as much if not more than Janet did. And just like her, I knew that if you could be there for me, you would be, no matter what. We’re family.” She looked down at their intertwined hands. “You proved me wrong. All the things I said when... when I said all you cared about was the job, the world. I’m sorry.”

Sam chuckled and Cassandra looked up, “Sorry. But didn’t someone say that the great thing about family is never having to say your sorry.”

Cassandra frowned, “Wasn’t that Love, or Vegas or something?” The two women’s gazes met, “Janet would know.”

Cassandra and Sam had lapsed into silence when the doorbell rang. Sam sighed, but Cassandra stood and answered it, “Uncle Jack?”

General Jack O’Neill smiled at his honorary niece and gave her a quick hug, “Is Carter here?”

Sam spoke from the living room, “You know I am sir.” 

She was standing by the time that Jack got to the living room and that made Cassandra frown. “Doctor Lam said...”

Sam nodded, “I know, I know, could you get started with the grill, I’ll be right out?”

Cassandra looked between Sam and Jack, “Should I..?”

Sam cut Cassandra off before she could finish the question, “No, the General won’t be staying.”

Cassandra opened and closed her mouth, then inclined her head. “Grill, right. On it.” And she disappeared out the door.

Jack watched her go, “She doesn’t have anything to put on it.”

Sam crossed her arms over her chest, “What do you want sir?”

Jack smiled, “The Hammond is ready to go ahead of schedule....”

Sam cut him off, “And you’d like me to hand over everything that I’ve found in the few days I’ve been back on Earth over to McKay, or someone else, and fly away on it to who knows where, but far away from any Stargates. Correct?. No sir. I won’t. Not this time.”

The smile left Jack’s face, “Carter, if what you say is true, you’re too close to this.”

“If?” Sam paused, but not long enough for Jack to reply, “I remember when you would go into a burning building because I said it would be safe, or use a solution that everyone else said was crazy and just damn bad because I said it would work. Now I get an if? She’s alive. I saw her, I will get her home, the whole lot of them. Even Rush.”

“We have....”

“I remember when you cared for people, not just numbers Jack.”

Jack’s back straightened as he shot right back, “I cared for you.”

Sam snorted a half a laugh, “Oh, so that’s what this is about then, you order me off the ninth chevron, so you win, keep me away from her evil lesbian ways right? You’ve always thought she turned me, right?”

“Yes...” Jack winced, “NO, no, of course not. Damnit Carter, you’re the best this country, this fuckin’ world has. She’s nothing, we have doctors coming out our ears, nothing we can’t replace. She’s nothing...”

Jack knew the second that he’d said that second nothing that he’d gone too far. Sam’s face lost all its emotion, there was no sadness, not even any anger any more. “When do I report for duty on the Hammond... sir?”

“Sam.... Carter... I didn’t.”

“The time sir. Then if you would leave my house I have to prepare. Say good-bye to Cassie.”

“Sam.” The blank look on the blonde’s face didn’t waver. “Eight hundred hours tomorrow. Sam...”

“Please leave sir.”

Jack opened and closed his mouth one more time, shook his head and quietly left Sam’s house. After a moment Cassandra cleared her throat from the doorway. “So, now what?”

“Nothing.”

“Sam.”

Sam looked up and over into Cassandra’s eyes. “I...”

“I’m not eleven years old anymore Sam. You’re going to rescue her, I can see that. What do you need me to do?”

Sam made a face, then rubbed at her eyes, “I... I need you to help me go against direct orders. And I have to hope at least two good, no, great people will help me.”

“Siler and Davis?” Sam nodded. “Then, since we only have until eight tomorrow, we’d probably better get on it huh?”


	5. Chapter 5

“Colonel Davis.”

“Colonel Carter, to what do I owe this meeting?”

Sam pursed her lips. “I have one question for you. It would be best if you don’t ask why I’m asking it, and don’t remember that I asked it.”

Davis crossed his arms over his chest, “And if a certain General told me that I was not to answer your question.”

Sam was silent for a moment, “You have to do what you think is best for you Paul.”

Davis put a hand on Sam’s shoulder, “And how about what’s best for the planet?”

“The General in question seems to think that it’s me, not asking this question.”

Davis smiled, “The General isn’t really thinking with his head. Ask your question Sam. I’ll answer it.”

Sam nodded, “Is the Langaran’s Stargate still connected to their planet’s Naquadria deposits?”

Davis leaned back in his chair and folded his hands together. “You know, I could be answering any question. You could have asked if I like shrimp.”

Sam frowned, “Do you like shrimp?”

“Yes. Yes I do.”

Sam’s eyes closed reflexively. “Thank God.”

Davis chuckled, “I know. There’s this curry I’ve been meaning to try...” Sam shot him a look and he smiled. “Sorry... Siler’s alone in the gate room right now. He says that working with others just causes him to get fried more often. Can’t say I disagree with him on that point.”

Sam quirked an eyebrow at Davis, “Just so I know where all base personnel is?”

“Yep. Have to keep up to date. Oh, and Sam.” Sam turned at the door. “Bring both of yourselves back. When you do, I’ll represent you.”

“Thank you Paul.”

oOOOOo

“Cassandra? What are you doing here?”

Cassandra froze in place in the infirmary, then looked over at General Landry. “Are you going to give me up sir?”

“Give you up? Give who up?”

Cassandra placed her hand on Landry’s arm, “Thank you sir, and she thanks you as well. She’s... she’s going to do it. You know that, right?”

General Landry smiled, “Do what?”

Cassandra chuckled, “Right sir. Thank you sir.”

Cassandra was to the door of the infirmary when General Landry spoke again, “And tell her Godspeed from me young lady.”

Cassandra snapped off a picture perfect salute, “Yes sir.”

oOOOOo

“Siler... Are you sure that we can.... use... the Gate Room?”

“Ma’am, with all due respect. I am not a child. I have made my decision. I’ve reattached everything I was working on, and I will keep a watch while you and Cassandra... do whatever it is that you will do in there.”

Siler jumped as Sam hugged him quickly, “Thank you Siler. You don’t know how much it means.”

Siler smiled sadly, “Well, Dr. Lam tries, but I still have this pain in my knee that just won’t go away. We need the real Doc back.”

He left as Cassandra came in with her bag full of goodies from various parts of the base. Everything that she thought Sam would need on Langara as well as the Destiny. “All set, you ready?”

Sam nodded and punched in the sequence of symbols. The Stargate started moving. “You have the code to send through?”

Cassandra handed Sam the backpack and patted her shirt pocket. “Right here. It opens, I shoot it through, we go through, voila, you dial the ninth chevron and we all live happily ever after.”

“Cassandra...”

Cassandra sighed. “I much prefer it when you don’t call me that you know. I know what I’m doing. I’m going with you. Because, if you can’t convince the stuck up scientists on Langara, well, I’m pretty good at sweet talking.”

“You did manage to convince your mother to let you date Dominic.”

“And Steve, and Josh, and...”

Sam put a hand up, “I get it, I get it. You’re going. Thank you.”

Cassandra shrugged her backup up on her shoulder a bit more, “Hey, I haven’t had an adventure for an age and a half. I’ll be downstairs when you’re done doin’ your slightly less than legal stuff.”

Cassandra left for the Gate Room as the Stargate started spinning and grinding. With a few keystrokes Sam locked down the system, just in case someone got curious. Turned off the alarms and joined Cassandra out by the Stargate’s ramp. “Ready?”

“Nope. I’m really, really hoping that I don’t blow up.”

“Oh....”

Cassandra laughed and gave Sam a whack on the back. “C’mon, I’m kidding. Hell, Lam and everyone here keeps such a close eye on my Calcium levels I feel like I get the third degree when I have yogurt with my milk and egg nog. It will all work. I promise.”

“You promise?”

Cassandra shrugged, “Did I not save you guys in the future. I’m awesome.” The Stargate mushroomed and the puddle appeared. “Well... we should probably go before...” She smirked, “See ya on the other side.”


	6. Chapter 6

Janet tapped her fingers on the desk. TJ cleared her throat, but said nothing and Janet’s fingers stopped their beat.

About five minutes later Janet tapped a different beat on the desk. TJ sighed and stood from her desk, walking to Janet’s side. “Did you need help?”

Janet looked up, “Ah, no. I was annoying you.”

“Not really. It’s nice to have someone in here who’s not sick or injured, or bugging me. Are you looking into Park’s blindness?”

Janet nodded, “I’m quite sure that I will not find anything. Your notes were quite comprehensive. But, maybe, something in here will spark an idea--” She glanced at TJ, “For either Lisa’s problem, or one of the other problems I’m working on.”

“Doctor--” TJ sighed, “Janet. Please. Leave it alone.”

Janet just smiled to herself, “I’ll try not to tap.”

“Doctor Fraiser.”

“ Lieutenant Johansen.”

TJ shook her head when she realized that Janet wasn’t going to stop looking for solutions to ALS while searching how to cure Park’s blindness.” And went back to her own work.

They worked in silence for nearly an hour before Eli came rushing in and slid to a halt. “TJ-- the Colonel. You’re not answering your walkie.” TJ picked it up and it was in fact dead. Eli wasn’t done, though he was quite out of breath, “We found a Seeder ship.” He glanced towards Janet, “Ah, the Colonel... he, ah... didn’t...”

Janet smiled, “Go, go Eli. I’m used to staying behind. Remember? Maybe this is our ticket home.”

Eli sprinted from the room, followed at a more sedate pace by TJ.

oOOOOo

“Jonas!”

Jonas Quinn engulfed Sam in a hug, then did the same for Cassandra. “It’s good to see you, both. You have an audience with Ovirda and the council.” He paused and looked between Cassandra and Sam. “Just you, and... you have one chance Sam. Why would...”

“Because Janet is alive, and on Destiny.”

“Oh...”

Cassandra smiled just a bit, “I think you broke him Sam.”

Jonas shook his head, “I wouldn’t, lead with that.”

Sam agreed, “I wasn’t planning on it. My calculations and plan will stand on their own merits. Point me towards the conference room so we can get this all underway.”

Jonas pointed towards the other end of the gigantic space and Sam started that way. Leaving Jonas and Cassandra alone. Jonas asked, “Has she...”

“Snapped? No. I think my mother is actually alive and on Destiny.” Cassandra watched Sam, “She... she said that after this, she’s done. I...” Cassandra shook her head, “I think she’s tired, and she’s given up so much for this job that’s given her nothing and taken everything. So...”

“So... are you going with her?”

Cassandra whacked Jonas on the shoulder, “Are you crazy. No way in hell. Nope. I’m just moral support, and maybe a sweet talker if she doesn’t convince them herself.”

oOOOOo

Janet stepped into the gate room and Volker looked up, “Dale.”

“Doctor.”

“Did they empty the ship for this mission?”

Volker chuckled, “Something like that, yes.” His smile vanished after a moment though, “It’s a Seed ship, but, it’s also quite dead. So, they’re...”

Janet raised an eyebrow, “Trying to start her up?”

Volker wasn’t about to be out bantered, “Nah, they’re just all over there waiting for Saint Carter.”

Janet chuckled, “When she gets here and saves your cute asses, well, I’ll remember you said that.”

oOOOOo

Cassandra wrapped her arms around Sam and they held onto each other as if they had a tornado pulling at them. After a moment Cassandra pulled away just a little bit, “I love you very much Sam.”

Sam smile and cleared her throat, “I love you too Cassie. More than I ever thought possible. Hey,” she smiled just a little bit, though most of the smile didn’t quite get to her eyes, “Don’t let my Indian get rusty.”

Cassandra’s jaw nearly dropped, “Really? You’re serious?”

Sam nodded, “If...”

Cassandra cut her off, “When.”

Sam inclined her head, “When I get home, I think... I think I won’t need it anymore.”

Cassandra gave Sam another hug, “Mom did always hate you riding it.”

A throat cleared behind them and they both turned. “Thank you Jonas.”

“I still can’t believe you convinced them that this would work. It will work?”

Sam smiled, “It will work. McKay’s would have worked as well you know.”

Jonas shook his head, “I guess you’re a much better salesman than McKay. If...”

It was Sam’s turn to interrupt, Jonas this time, “When the SG team comes. Probably SG-1 tell them whatever you wish. I’m... I’m done with the SGC and all its crap.”

Jonas cleared his throat, “Well, if this worked Colonel, you’re going somewhere where they can’t really touch you.” He turned to Cassandra, “Will you be going home before...”

Cassandra shook her head, “No. No. So, we should probably do it then.”

Jonas stuck out his hand and Sam shook it, “Good luck Colonel.” He paused, “Good luck Sam.”

“Thank you, now, both of you get outta here.”

They did, leaving Sam alone in the cavernous room with the Stargate. After a moment it started turning and turning. It stopped once, twice, again, and again. It did it a total of eight time, and then Sam held her breath just a bit. But then it stopped at the ninth Chevron and the blue puddle whooshed outwards, and then settled into its normal imitation of a vertical swimming pool. She paused for a moment, but nothing seemed to change. She looked up at where Jonas and Cassandra stood. Jonas gave her a thumbs up and with a nod she jogged towards the puddle and then she was flying.

It seemed like a longer trip than usual, and then she stepped into a room she’d never really been in before and hear the cocking of a gun.

oOOOOo

The Stargate started spinning and Volker frowned, “What the hell.”

Janet went to stand next to Volker, “Is there a Stargate on the Seed ship?”

Volker nodded, “But, it’s too soon, way too soon. Are you armed?”

Janet looked down at her hands, “Nope. Left my gun in my other pants.”

Volker let out a strangled laugh, and then it was too late as the Stargate was whooshing open and he tensed up, trying not to wince or shy away and lifted his gun towards the newcomer.

Janet’s mouth dropped open. “Dale, it’s Sam...”

Volker slowly lowered the gun, “Colonel Carter?”

“Doctor Volker-- Ja--”

She didn’t get to finish the brunette’s name before Janet was in her arms, feet off the ground and kissing Sam silly. It took the Stargate starting to spin again to get them to separate and move backwards until they were both next Volker.

Sam leaned down and whispered, “The fact that you’re happy that I just stranded myself here with you--” Janet raised an eyebrow at Sam, “Proves without a reasonable doubt that you’re you.”

Janet gave Sam an elbow in the gut as the Destiny crew stumbled through the Stargate puddle.

It was Camile who spotted Sam first, and she winced. Rush saw the blonde next and he frowned. His frown was only beaten in depth by that of Colonel Young. “Colonel carter-- to what do we owe your presence? Here to try and relive me as Telford did?”

Sam didn’t remove her arm from around Janet’s shoulders, “You’re planning on locking me in a room and killing me?”

Young stared through Sam, “Then why are you here?”

“Janet’s here-- not to mention people who desperately want to go home.”

Rush stepped into the fray, “Oh, you believe you-- can get us home? The bloody brilliant Samantha Carter? Can you fix an utterly dead Ancient seeder ship?”

“Possibly. I’ve never tried before.”

Rush opened his mouth, but Camile got in between the two men and Sam, “First, have you had anything to eat?”

“I haven’t. No. I spent my last three hours convincing the Langaran council to let me try not to blow up their planet.”

That gave Colonel Young pause, “You risked an entire planet to get to your girlfriend?”

Sam twitched, but she didn’t move towards the Colonel. “It was never a risk. Read my mission briefs. Ms. Wray-- you mentioned the local delicacies?”

Camile chuckled and led the way out of the gate room. Volker also followed Janet and Sam from the gate room, as did most of the others. Leaving Rush and Young alone. “Colonel. You cannot let her try and solve this problem with the seed ship. She will only cause more loss of life-- she--” He paused, “I don’t wish to speak ill of the woman.”

“Why stop now Rush, spit it out.” Young gave Rush a look.

Rush nodded, “She has quite the... overestimated sense of self and her abilities. She... and may I add an entire team, has had some saves, that is true, but.” He paused again, “Do we really know if it was her, or, or one of the others on SG-1.”

Young stared at Rush for a such a long time that Rush was sure he wasn’t going to respond. But he finally did, “A scientist who thinks she’s god, now, where have I heard that before?” He put a hand up before Rush could speak, “Well, we’ll keep an eye on her then.”

oOOOOo

Lisa laughed as Sergeant Greer shook his head. “It’s still legendary. You, SG-1, walking around, talking to the air like you all did.” He paused, “So, is it the worst problem you’ve ever been in?”

Sam smiled, “Not by a long shot. You’ve read my mission briefs?” Sergeant Greer nodded, “Well, it’s the ones that don’t make the official pages. Those are the worst. So, what’s this seed ship look like?”

Greer shook his head, “It looked sabotaged to me.” He glanced over his shoulder at Rush, “Not that people were jumping up to agree with me. But, sabotage would also explain why, unlike the other one, this one is not moving and it’s engine seems toast.”

“Well, I have no doubt that Doctor Rush is working on a solution.” Sam watched as Rush left the mess hall.

Greer shook his head, “Eli maybe, but Rush’s obsessed with this background pattern he may have found in the universe. That the Ancients found, then he has... re-found I guess.” Greer looked over as Lisa elbowed him in the stomach. “Ah, but, for right now. We’ll be leaving you two alone.”

Sam smiled and Janet chuckled. They were silent for a bit before Janet broke the silence, “How’s Cassie?”

Sam met Janet’s gaze, “Are you asking if she’s told me yet that she’s pregnant? No.”

Janet smiled, “She never could get anything by you.”

“Is that why you’re back?”

“It’s a good reason as any other reason, if someone asks.”

Sam opened her mouth, but Janet put her fingers on Sam’s lips, “Just. I want to gaze at you for awhile.”

Sam pursed her lips, but stayed silent, for awhile. “We’ll get back to her. She’s waiting for us on Langara.” Sam smiled, “She had a girlfriend for awhile. Her senior year of high school.”

Janet sighed, “I missed so much. Graduation, her growing into a young woman. I--” She looked over at Sam, “I’m so sorry.”

Sam cupped Janet’s cheek, “Never say that. We-- it was rough for a bit after you died, but you saved lives with your life Janet. A little girl got to have a Dad.”

Janet blew out a breath, removed Sam’s hand and kissed the palm. “Okay. Let’s get home.”

Sam nodded, “Well, first I’d have to get onto the seed ship.”

Janet smiled, “Leave that to Camile.”

Sam smirked, “Should I be jealous?”

Janet laughed as she stood, “Only if I should be jealous of Sharon.”

Sam inclined her head, “Point taken. Lead onward to Ms. Wray.”

oOOOOo

Camile stood in her quarters, Sam and Janet across the room from her, “Our relationship is--”

Janet frowned and started to interrupt Camile, but Sam beat her to it. “You want to know if it’ll be worth it to possibly ruin your relationship with Young over this. Over me. I don’t know, because I haven’t been to the ship. But I’ll give it my best try.”

Camile stared at Janet, then up at the drawing on her wall. “Okay. I’ll risk it. But, it’s going to be uncomfortable on that ship.”

Sam rolled her eyes, “I’ve dealt with much harder asses than Rush.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the length of time between updates. I keep thinking that I'll have more time to work on this than, and then life gets in the way.

Sam’s head bobbed as she looked at the engine of the seed ship from all the sides she could. Rush stood over her shoulder, breathing down her neck. Eli stood a bit farther away, studying Sam as she studied the engine and Greer stood at the door, watching all their backs.

Finally Sam turned around, “You were either incredibly stupid when you... studied it, or, you sabotaged it.”

Rush looked as if her were going to object, but only for a moment, then he just shook his head, “I didn’t. But if I did? It was unrepairable when we got here. You think you can really tell the difference between age and purposeful destruction?”

“I can. Did you think before you did it Rush?”

“I believe I said I didn’t... Carter...”

“There are people on Destiny with families who they would do anything to touch with their own hands. THere are people who are sick and the help they need is on Earth-- who made you God Rush?”

“Do you think you can fix it?”

Sam glanced over at Eli, “I guess we’ll see. Are you willing to help?”

Eli nodded, “Of course Colonel.”

Sam smiled, “Call me Sam.” She glanced over at Rush, then to Greer, “You have someone to keep an eye on him?”

“Yes ma’am.” He called for one of his men to come from the Stargate to them. Rush just shook his head.

Sam gave the Sergeant a half a grin, “You’re not gonna leave my six are you Greer?”

“No ma’am, I have orders from.... a higher authority on the matter ma’am.”

Sam chuckled, “As long as that higher authority is Janet and not Young, I think I can live with it.” She turned to Eli, “So, ready to go crawl into the guts of this girl and see if we can get her powered up enough to send us home?”

Eli made a face, “Home...”

Sam nodded, “Home.”

oOOOOo

“Janet.”

“Camile.”

“Are you really going to fix Park’s blindness? Greer’s in love with her...”

Janet was silent for a moment, “Yes, I did get that fact, as for Park. I don’t know.”

Camile studied Janet for a long moment, then nodded. “Alright. I just...”

Janet inclined her head, “I understand. You’re like a family. Believe me, I understand.”

“So... you and the blonde genius. That must be a story”

Janet chuckled, “It includes men crazy on hormones and Sam cold cocking her General.”

Camile smiled, “That sounds like the Stargate program.”

oOOOOo

“These seed ships-- they seem to break more than they work. Too much power contained in them.”

Sam slapped the console she was under and pulled herself out from under it, “Do you ever shut up?”

Rush kept talking, “I-- have nothing to go home to.”

Sam stood and wiped off her hands. “Well, we’re not going home, so-- moot point.”

Sam went to leave, but Rush stopped her, “Was it worth it? Stranding yourself across space from your home, your family?”

Sam turned, “More than... I will get us home.”

oOOOOo

Janet sat back and blew out a breath. TJ looked up. “You found a solution for Park’s blindness?”

“I did.”

“But, it’s a bad one.”

Janet turned in her chair, “A dangerous one for Park, yes.” Janet stood, her joints popping. “It’s been awhile since I felt that.”

TJ shook her head in disbelief, “And yet you’re smiling.”

“Oops... sorry about that.”

TJ shook her head again, “Good luck with Park.”

“And Greer. Is he back from the seed ship?”

TJ nodded, “Yep.” She was prevented from continuing when an injured crewmember entered the infirmary.

Janet went to the mess first, but they weren’t there. Or in either of their rooms. Finally she tried the lookout. She sighed in relief when she found them alone, “Lisa, Ronald... do you have a moment?”

Greer spoke up, “That doesn’t sound promising.”

Janet sat down, “It’s neither good nor bad. I found a solution to your blindness Lis, but, if it goes wrong, you’ll die.”

Lisa was silent, “No in between? Either a cure or death?”

“Yes.”

Lisa blew out a breath, “Okay.”

“No...” Janet was surprised at how firm Greer’s voice was. “No, it’s not worth it.”

Lisa turned towards Greer, “I’m a scientist... and I wasn’t born this way... so my eyes are one of my most important tools.” She ran her fingers along Greer’s jaw line, “I know it’s greedy and selfish and, I love you, even if I can’t see you, but, I have to do this. Please, understand that?”

Greer stood, “I just... I can’t. I’m sorry.” He left the lookout.

Janet sighed, “I’m sorry Lisa.”

Lisa put a hand on Janet’s shoulder. “I assume that you can’t do it right away, right?”

“Yes, there’s some preparation.”

Lisa nodded, “Then, please, start preparing. Ronald... I’ll make him understand.” She paused, “Could I have...”

Janet stood, “A few minutes alone.” Janet paused, “Lisa... you don’t have to do this though. Until I start the process...”

Lisa cut Janet off, “I won’t back out, but... thank you.”

Janet left Lisa alone and wandered towards the mess, but halfway there was met by Sam. “Oh no... nothing?”

Sam nodded and draped her arm around Janet’s shoulders. “The ship’s energy system is mostly kaput. Now and forever it will stay a glorified box.” Sam frowned, “Box-- box... why is that tickling my brain.” Sam stopped short and stared at Janet, “A giant box, like a shipping container--” Sam smiled, leaned down and kissed Janet hard. “You make me brilliant and... after I do this... retiring won’t be a problem. They’ll want to canonize me.”

Janet raised her eyebrows, “You’re not Catholic.”

“I know, that’s what makes it so very impressive.” She kissed Janet again, and then jogged back the way she’d come and Janet just shook her head and continued towards the Mess.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've done it. I know. It took forever, and heck, I've actually started and ended several stories before I finished this one. I honestly thought that this was gonna go all Baby Blue on me (one of my other stories that I almost didn't finish as well) but, here it is. For better or worse. For whatever it's worth. The rest of the chapters of this story.

Rush, Eli, Young and Camile all stood facing Sam in Young’s quarters. “It won’t work. The Ori... both times, used ships. Stargates can’t b--”

“Haven’t been used. We have almost two hundred Stargates, all sitting on a dead, dead seed ship. So, we strap them together and fire up a Supergate.”

“Ah...” Eli cleared his throat, “Everyone else probably totally knows how this will work, but, um... won’t it take a bit more than that to make a Supergate?”

Sam sighed, “Of course it will.” She jerked her her chin towards the door, “What, do you think that only Rush can find an empty wall? I can find an empty wall too. How we do it is there--” She paused, “Look, I’ve been going full tilt for what feels like years, and as far as I know we’re not going to die in the next four… maybe six hours, so I’m going to go sleep ‘til I wake up.” She glanced over all those in the room, “Talk amongst yourselves.”

Sam left the room. Eli spoke up, “She’s crazy, right?”

Rush tilted his head to one side, “Hmm....”

oOOOOo

Camile sat down next to Sam. “Where’s Janet?”

Sam blew out a breath, “Asleep... Something that apparently I still can’t achieve.” Sam ran a hand through her hair. “Excited to see Sharon?”

Camile chuckled, “You come on a one way trip for Janet, someone who’s been dead for 10 years and... are wondering about me?” She paused, “Just... ah, just in case this doesn’t work. How, how did you do it? All those years grieving for Janet.”

Sam shrugged, “Be a good actor.”

Camile frowned, “A good actor?”

“When your heart is torn from your chest, all you can do is fake it, until it becomes halfway natural. Oh, and work so hard that you pass out each night from exhaustion.”

“Sounds delightful.”

Sam shrugged, “There were times that I would forget that she was dead too...” Sam shook herself out of the memory. “I wouldn’t worry about it, I’m a genius right? This’ll work.”

oOOOOo

Rush was alone in front of the wall that Sam had written all her equations and such on. He’d been studying it for what was probably hours.

“Did I pass-- teach?”

Rush turned to face Sam. “I thought you were headed to your quarters, to sleep?”

“Proved elusive.”

Rush turned his backs on the numbers and symbols and regarded Sam, “Would she have done it for you?” Sam nodded. “Why?”

Sam frowned, “Because she loves me. Because without her I’m less, and I’d like to think that if she were without me she’d be less too.”

“Not very scientific.”

Sam paused, then nodded. “I guess not, no. But, life is about more than just science. Science had nothing to do with me going back for Cassie in that bomb shelter, science had nothing to do with Janet holding a gun on Nirrti to get her to help us save Cassie. So, are you on board, or not?”

Rush shook his head, “No...”

“Rush...”

He turned back towards the wall, “No, not unless we make this gate so that we can come back.”

Sam took something from her back pocket and held it out to Rush. “You want to come back, then help me instead of being an ass.” Neither blinked or looked away. 

Finally Rush snatched it from Sam’s hand, “Let’s get to work then.”


	9. Chapter 9

**~ 7 Months Later**

oOOOOo

“You can go home Cassie. We know how to contact the SGC too you know?”

Cassandra smiled sadly, taking a slow bite of her blue jello, “I do in fact know, but I... I feel like... it’s like I’m watching the Rockies on TV, and they’re winning, and they never seem to win, and so, I don’t move and then they win… And, I know in my gut that if I had moved, gone to the bathroom, even twitched, they would have lost.”

Jonas frowned at Cassandra, “That makes no sense Cassie, your movement has nothing to do with these Rocks winning or losing.”

Cassandra smiled just a bit, “Colorado Rockies. A baseball team that’s named after the the large mountain range in the US. And, I know that it doesn’t make any sense, but… blame Sam. She got me hooked on Todd Helton and Matt Holliday… And.” Cassandra sighed, “My Mom is alive, and... I...” 

Cassandra trailed off and Jonas wrapped his arms around her in a hug. A Langaran Captain appeared and cleared her throat, “Don’t you have somewhere else to be Mr. Quinn?”

Jonas glanced up and shook his head, “Orinda... Have you been appointed to some position that’s higher than the Joint Ruling Council?” 

Orinda shrugged, “Nope. But, I am Dreylock’s daughter, and you’re standing in my Stargate facility?”

“And here I thought it was Halpren’s?”

Orinda leaned forward and faux whispered, “See, that’s just what we of the Langaran Security Forces let him think...”

Cassandra stood between them and put up her hands, “Enough, enough you two... you’re worse than Jack and Daniel.”

Orinda squinted, “Isn’t that a drink on your planet Cassie?”

Cassandra chuckled. “Indeed.”

Jonas’ gaze went from one woman to the other, then he simply shook his head and left. Orinda frowned just a little, “Does he know?” Cassandra nodded and Orinda frowned, “And he’s jealous.”

Cassandra blew out a breath, which those she was carrying didn’t appreciate and let her know. “No. He’s like an Uncle Ory…” She held out a hand and after a pause Orinda took it and let herself be guided onto the bench next to Cassandra. “Not that I don’t want your company, but…”

Orinda blew out a breath, “Halpren. He wants to send you home.” She placed a gentle hand over Cassandra’s shoulders and pulled her closer, “I think he believes you’re bad luck.”

Cassandra leaned against her, “No-- he wants to break us apart, for your mother.”

“Cassie…” Orinda always had a smile on her face, but, for the moment it was gone as she took Cassandra’s hands in her own and made Cassandra turn so that they were face to face. “I know that this is weird, and for you it was unexpected especially since you had just found out you were pregnant, and then I came on all strong and, and there’s the fact that I’m not a Tau’ri--”

Cassandra interrupted Orinda, “Neither am I.”

“I love you. No matter what my mother says, or your mother says, or Sam or-- we stay here, or we live on Earth, or… wherever you want to raise the two little ones, I just don’t… Cassie…”

Cassandra cut Orinda off with a kiss, “I’m not going anywhere. I mean, we have to decide where to live, and that sort of thing, but, if Dreylock, or Mom or Sam has a problem with this. I can be mighty stubborn when I need to be.”

A voice came from the doorway, “Especially when it comes to dating, right Cassandra?”

Cassandra looked up and frowned. A female soldier of the Langaran Army stood in the doorway, “Mom?”

Janet, in the soldier’s body smiled, “Yes. And now I know how the other half lives.”

Cassandra looked confused as Janet came in the room and Cassandra stood, “The other half?”

Orinda laughed, the smile back on her face, “Those who are tall Cassie.”

Janet held out a hand, “Janet Fraiser.”

Orinda untangled herself from Cassandra’s side and shook Janet’s hand, “Orinda Dux.”

Janet studied both Orinda and her daughter. “You have a girlfriend young lady? In the past seven months you’ve gotten a girlfriend? Does Sam know?”

“Ah, no. Well, yes to the first part, no to the second. Wait. You spied on me when you were ascended?”

Janet cleared her throat a couple of times.

Orinda just rolled her eyes, leaned down and gave quite the kiss to Cassandra, “I’ll let you two talk a little.”

“Ory…”

Orinda just smirked as she left the room. Cassandra closed her eyes, “Say what you want to say, okay?”

Janet sat down at the table, and waited until Cassandra sat down next to her. “You need to go back to Earth. Talk to Jack. Sam has a plan and it requires the use of the supergate.” She put an arm around Cassandra, “So, she’s a Langaran?”

“Don’t I have to… get back to Earth, I should go now, right?”

Janet smiled, ignoring her daughter’s attempt to escape, “You’ve been okay? No hitches with the pregnancy?”

Cassandra nodded. She would joke and make light of a lot of things. But, when Dr. Janet Fraiser asked her about her health, she was always serious. “I’m fine. They’re fine. Dr. Lam comes out here every week now. They seem to be perfectly normal, and I’m way past ready for them to leave me.” She cleared her throat and looked away, “Mom-- I’m sorry, seeing you. Or hearing, or… I’m okay, but…”

Janet stood and helped Cassandra up as well, “There will be plenty of time for a reunion when we’re all in the right bodies.”

Cassandra grabbed the soldier around the shoulders and as well as she could she pulled Janet into a crushing hug. “I love you.”

Janet smiled and wrapped her arms around her daughter. “I love you too Cassandra. This will all work out.”

Cassandra took a step back and cleared her throat, “Sam does generally get things done.”

Janet smiled, “Walk me to the communications center. Have you decided on names?”

Cassandra nodded, “I… I don’t want to jinx a good birth though so…”

Janet held up a hand, “I understand.” They started back towards the communication rooms. “I… when I get back, I’m going to try and fix someone’s sight.”

Cassandra reached down and grasped Janet’s hand, “You’ll do it.”

“Cassandra…”

Cassandra stopped and faced Janet, “You’ve saved SG-1, the entire Earth, so many times. You gave your life saving a guy on an alien planet. I mean… you can do this Mom. Is that…”

Janet brushed bangs from Cassandra’s forehead and kissed it. “Thank you.” She paused, “And this being tall is starting to be weird.”

Cassandra laughed.

oOOOOo

“Where is she? Did she really have to be the one to go and tell everyone that we’re coming home. She didn’t. There were about, everyone on this--”

Lisa put two fingers over Greer’s lips. “Shh… I trust Colonel Carter as much as everyone else, but, Dr. Fraiser hasn’t seen her daughter since she died. That’s why she went. This will go fine Ronald. Have faith.”

“I’m stay--”

“No. You and Matt and everyone need to get ready. There’s so much to do, and TJ will be here too. I’ll be fine.” She ran a hand down his cheek, “Please. Go. Get us home.”

Greer’s jaw worked for a moment, then he sighed and leaned down, capturing Lisa’s lips with his own in an intense kiss that didn’t end until a throat cleared. He looked up, “TJ. You make sure the Doc doesn’t screw up… if…”

TJ put a hand on Greer’s shoulder and steered him towards the doorway. “She’ll be fine.”

Lisa blew out a breath as TJ came back over. “Thanks. He just…”

“Worries. I got that.” Lisa chuckled. “Let’s get you prepared then. Eli just messaged me that Janet’s back on board, so…”

Lisa nodded, “Time for this to work, or not work.”


	10. Chapter 10

Cassandra sat off to one side on the bridge of the Hammond, her face creased with worry. Once she’d gone back to Earth and the SGC it had been a whirlwind two days of preparation.

But, it had all been worth it. She, Orinda, Teal’c, Daniel, Jack and the rest of SG-1s old and new were nearly to the Supergate. Teal’c walked across the bridge and stood next to Cassandra. “You do not look well Cassandra Fraiser.”

Cassandra sighed, “I’m okay, between… with everything. I’m just tired. My Mom is alive, and yet, she could easily not survive any of this. Or I could lose Sam, or both, and they’d never get to see… to see…”

Teal’c placed a hand on Cassandra’s shoulder, “Grandchildren.”

Cassandra laughed, “Oh, please, let me be there when you say that same thing to them.”

A small smile came to Teal’c’s face, “Indeed. Although, I doubt if Sam will react well to the moniker of --grandma-- your mother Janet.”

Cassandra nodded, “Yeah. I mean, Sam never even let me call her Mom.”

Teal’c squeezed Cassandra’s shoulder and removed his hand, “Soon, all will be well and in its place again Cassandra Fraiser.”

“I hope so, because…” She winced and sighed. “I think that I’m ready for some happiness and not pain.”

oOOOOo

TJ came back over to where Janet was still working on Lisa. “Ah, they’re about to fire up our Supergate, are you…”

Janet paused and looked over at TJ, “I’m not. Can they put it off?”

TJ shook her head, “No. I guess that they’ve picked up a Nakai signal close by, it’s now or never. So..”

Janet took a deep breath, “Just… just tell Sam to try and keep it smooth.”

oOOOOo

“Ohh… Damn. I think my water broke. They’re early.” Cassandra grabbed onto Orinda’s hand, “Ory--”

Orinda pulled Cassandra to her feet, “Can you walk?”

The conversation got Jack’s attention, “Teal’c, take Cassie to the infirmary, and… Cassie, you’re not going to have these kids on the bridge. I mean, we’ve been doing this for millennia right?”

Cassandra growled a response, “Speak for yourself male.”

Daniel spoke up, “I’ll go too…”

Jack mumbled to himself as they got to the door, “Better you than me.”

Between Orinda and Teal’c they got Cassandra to the infirmary. It was empty, but they led Cassandra to a bed. She, very much her mother’s daughter, starting giving orders right away. “I know you’re my--- ahhh… okay, yes, that one was bigger. Have either of you ever done this?”

Teal’c spoke, “I had observed many in my time on Chulak as a Jaffa.”

“Okay. But, nobody but Orinda gets to… to see…”

Orinda cracked just a small smile, “Your whoo haa…”

“Ory--”

Orinda cleared her throat, “Sorry. So, don’t we need boiling water or something?”

“Ahhhhh…..”

Daniel shook his head, “No, what we need is Janet.”

oOOOOo

“They’re here.”

“Damnit Rush.”

Rush shook his head, “Colonel Young this is a highly--”

Sam cut Rush off, “We need ten minutes.”

Young pointed at Lieutenant Scott and then the weapons console, “Give them time.”

Scott frowned, “I don’t think I can give te…”

“Three--” Young spoke to the scientists again, “You have three minutes.”

oOOOOo

“Doctor Fraiser.”

“I’m almost done TJ.”

TJ held herself up as the ship shook, “Sooner the better.”

Janet paused and made a noise in the back of her throat, “Ahhh…”

“Doctor Fraiser? Janet? Are you okay?”

Janet shook her head, “I’m fine-- I’m fine. I think that almost felt like,” Janet shook her head, “Okay. Hold her head perfectly still please.”

oOOOOo

“Okay. You’re doing well Cassie. You are. One down one to go, right?”

Cassandra wasn’t paying any attention to Orinda, “She hasn’t. Uncle Daniel, she hasn’t--”

A small yell came from the other side of the room where a Daniel held the newborn, “See, she has a good set of lungs. Just focus on her little brother or sister, okay. I’ll clean up little Danielle here.”

Cassandra growled, “Not naming her that. She’s Johanna. Ahhhh….. this, this hurts more Ory, Teal’c.”

Orinda looked up at Teal’c with a frown and swallowed nervously, “Ah… I know that it was a rule, but… Teal’c… could you…”

Teal’c joined Orinda at the end of the bed and a frown graced his face as well.

oOOOOo

“They won’t be ready. And we cannot simply bring with us an entirely alien race to the Earth’s doorstep.”

Sam sighed, “Now you give a damn about home? They’re ready.”

“How do you…”

“They’re. Ready.”

Colonel Young watched Rush and Sam face off, silent, thinking. Finally he met Eli’s gaze. “Open it up Eli, and take us home.”

“Lt….?” Lieutenant Scott got up from the weapons console and moved to another one.

“Ah, I’m just. Making sure that the Nakai don’t follow us. A little something that I--” Eli cleared his throat, “Right. Eli and I came up with something just in case. It shouldn’t hurt the stargates, just the Nakai’s ships.”

Young paused for a moment, then nodded, “Release it.”

He did.

Eli started to punch in the sequence that would activate the gate, but found himself bumped to the side. Sam took his place with a slight smile, “It’s my last time going through one of these things I think, not to mention, my fault if it all goes wrong. May as well be at the helm too.”

It seemed to take forever and happen all at once. All the gates came on, all focused towards the center of their ring. There was a brief pause as every one of the gates’ ‘whooshes’ met, and then the universe seemed to blink and there was the usual watery looking gateway. Eli, still at her side mumbled, “We’re assuming that there’s something on the other side of this.”

It was Janet who answered him, “There is Eli.”

Sam looked up, “Lisa?”

“She’s sedated. And alive. Greer is with her. We won’t know more until she wakes up. Then she’ll either see, or not see. And, Sam, the moment we’re on the other side. I think-- I think we need to get over to the lead ship.”

Sam held her hand out and Janet took it. “Okay. This will either be a hell of a ride, or--”

Rush finished her thought, “Nothing.”

oOOOOo

Cam spoke from the con. “Something’s coming out out of the event horizon.”

“Lock on… just in case. And tell the Prometheus and Odyssey to lock on to whatever appears also.”

The entire bridge sat still and silent as a ship emerged from the supergate.

Cam spoke again, “It’s the Destiny. They’re hailing us.”

Jack frowned, “What?”

There was no preamble, just Sam’s voice over the speakers, “Lower the shields Jack. Now. And transport us to the Infirmary. Both me and Janet.”

There was an infinitesimal pause, and those on the bridge could practically see Jack’s thought process working. “Cam, do it.”

“Yes sir.”

oOOOOo

“My God. Doctor Fraiser? Colonel Carter?”

Janet went to Orinda’s side and Samantha went to Cassandra’s side, taking her hand.

Janet was all business, “What’s wrong?”

“This second one wants to jump out feet first. I--”

Janet cleared her throat, “I… I apologize. Continue.”

“Mom…”

Orinda took a step back, “Please Doctor Fraiser, you can. I need to… I…”

Janet frowned as Orinda beat a hasty retreat out of the room. “Teal’c.”

“I will see to Orinda Dux while you help your daughter and grandson or daughter.”

Sam did a double take, “Dux? Like Dreylock?”

Janet met Sam’s eyes, “Focus Sam. Cassandra it’s going to be okay. Alright? Sam. I need…”

Sam had already left Cassandra’s side for a moment and came back with a scanner, putting it in Janet’s hand before she asked for it. “Thank you. So, let’s see where this little…” She paused, “Boy… is… okay.” She frowned, “I’m going to go clean up and put on a gown. Try not to push, and talk to Sam for a moment.”

“Mom?”

Janet paused, “Your little boy’s…”

“Samuel George.”

Janet smiled even as Sam rolled her eyes at the first name, “Little Sammy’s head is hyperextended so I need to do a Caesarean. Okay?”

Cassandra nodded and Janet went towards the sinks on the other side of the infirmary. “Sam? I… I’m bisexual.”

Sam snorted out a laugh. “Sorry… I… that’s not what I expected. Hey…” She wiped away the tears on Cassandra’s cheeks, “Have we ever let you down? We solved the bomb in you, and solved the problem when you were…”

“Doing freaky things with--- ahhh…. I need to…”

Sam glanced up and across the room, “Don’t push. Janet’s almost back. “Yes, doing quite annoying things with magnets and lightbulbs. So. You’re dating the bosses’ daughter.”

“I love her Sam.”

Sam smiled, “I know. I’m just giving you a little grief. If you’re happy, that’s all the matters honey.”

Daniel stepped next to Janet, the little girl still in his hands, “Is she going to be okay Janet?”

Janet nodded, “She will. If he were in a frank breech I would just have her have him, but… yes. She’ll be okay. Did you scan… her?”

Daniel nodded, “Yes. She’s 6 pounds even, all healthy according to the computer. You can…”

“Take her to the… the chapel. I think that’s probably where Orinda went.”

Daniel frowned but nodded, “Okay.” He disappeared from the infirmary.

Janet appeared and took a deep breath, “Let’s let Sammy meet his sister.”

oOOOOo

Jack frowned. He and Colonel Young were in the conference room. “That’s it? That seems so very…”

“Anti-climactic? On this side, sure… look sir. Most of those on board just want to get back to Earth. They want to see their families, their friends.”

“Except for Rush.”

Young frowned, “Yes. How did you know?”

Jack shook his head, “I’ve read his file. The ship, Destiny, is going to stay here, but, there’s enough room on the Hammond to get any of your crew who want to go home back to Earth.”

“Good. Good.”

oOOOOo

“Uuhh… I have the worst headache.” Lisa felt a kiss placed on her forehead and she smiled. “Ronald.”

“We’re home.” She felt him pause, and knew why he was pausing, “Ah, will you open your eyes?”

Lisa sighed, “I-- If I don’t then for just one more minute I can pretend that it worked.”

She could feel Greer kiss each of her eyes. “I don’t care either way you know that.”

Lisa took a deep breath and opened her eyes. “Oh--”

“What?”

A smile came to Lisa’s face, “Everything’s so damn blurry…”

Greer threw his arms around Lisa and hugged her to him, “Yes!”

Lisa just smiled and wondered where Janet had gotten off to.

oOOOOo

Orinda went pale as Daniel, with the little girl in his arms, entered the chapel. “What’s wrong?”

Daniel shook his head, “Nothing-- Janet’s doing a C-Section, but that’s a good thing.” He paused, “Would you like to hold her?”

Orinda was silent for a moment before she nodded. Daniel handed the little girl to her. “She’s going to be the easy one. I can tell--” She glanced up at Daniel and Teal’c who hadn’t said a word after appearing in the chapel, “I know because I wasn’t the easy one. Hey there Johanna-- I bet you can’t wait to meet your little brother. As his older sister you have to make sure he’s always safe, and no one picks on him.”

“Johanna, after Sam’s mother?”

Orinda nodded, “Johanna Corinna Fraiser and Samuel George Fraiser.”

Daniel couldn’t help himself, “Not Dux?”

Orinda chuckled, “I’m trying not to cause an inter-planetary incident and make sure my mother’s head doesn’t detach from the rest of her body. Plus… we’re not… it’s only been seven months.”

Daniel smiled, “I knew that Sha’re was the one within moments.”

oOOOOo

“Mom?”

Janet put a finger up from the other exam table. Then she took a blanket and wrapped the little boy in it. “He’s fine. Just a quiet one.”

Janet placed him on Cassandra’s chest and he made a small noise, “But, he’s okay?”

Janet leaned over and kissed Cassandra’s forehead, “He’s perfect.”

“Thank you.”

“Once a doct…”

Cassandra cut Janet off, “No… no-- I mean… for coming back.”

“Oh--”

The door opened and Orinda, Johanna in her arms entered. “Hi--” She looked between the three women and Sammy. “Are… are you both okay?”

Cassandra held out her free hand and Orinda moved to the side of the bed opposite of Sam and Janet. “We are. Sammy just wanted to be the star of the day.”

Janet gave Sam’s arm a gentle pull, “Let’s give them some time.”

“No, no Colonel… Doctor-- I’ll…”

Janet put a hand up, “I want to say hello to-- well, everyone. I’ll be back to check up on Cassie, Sammy and Johanna in a bit though.”

Janet started towards the door, but Sam stopped next to Orinda and put a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t break her heart.”

Orinda gave a curt nod as Janet pulled Sam from the infirmary mumbling at her. Orinda frowned, “Ah, did she just…”

Cassandra laughed, “She does that to all my-- well, to this point, boyfriends.”

“So. You’re saying it’s a good thing?”

Cassandra smiled as both Sammy and Johanna stirred, “I guess that depends on if you plan on breaking my heart or not.”

Orinda leaned forward and kissed Cassandra into breathlessness. “Never.”

oOOOOo

“You didn’t need to do that Sam.”

“Of course I did. I think. Oh, who the hell knows. I obviously have no idea what I’m doing anymore.”

Janet frowned, “Sam. Are you okay?”

Sam stopped them in the hallway. “I need to know. Are you-- are you okay with me retiring from the Air Force?”

 

“Is it what you want Sam? You could just leave the SGC, teach, or something.”

Sam shook her head, “If I stay in then--”

“They’ll pull you back in.” Janet took Sam’s hands in her own, “Sam, I love you, whatever you need to do for yourself that’s what I’ll stand behind.”

Sam leaned down and drew Janet to her, kissing her. “Next to, never behind. And I love you too. Okay. Let’s go get you hugged and ooh’ed and ahh’ed over.”

And Janet did. Everyone had a hug for her or a story or both. They were stunned, or slightly miffed, or confused. But everyone was happy to see her.

While Janet was being inundated by people Jack pulled Sam to one side. “Carter, what are you thinking?”

Sam was silent for a long moment, “I’ve given a good portion of my life to this program, and for years I thought that I gave of the love of my life too. And, I know that you understand that General.”

Jack frowned, “Carter…” Sam said nothing. Jack was silent for a moment, then he put a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “You know there will always be a place for you at the SGC and in Homeworld Command.” He paused, then pulled Sam in for a hug. After a moment he let go, “Okay.”

“Thank you for understanding General.”

“Jack…”

Sam inclined her head, “Thank you Jack.”

Jack put an arm around Sam’s shoulders, “I think I’ll be joining you sooner rather than later too-- need to find lots of time to get to know your little namesake and Johanna, and…”

“Fishing in your fish-less pond?”

Jack hurfed, “Do you know how long it took for me to get those damn things out of my pond after you futzed with time.”

“Me? You’re gonna stick with that Ge… Jack.”

Jack chuckled, “Let’s go rescue your… Janet. And damn straight it was your fault that my pond got fish in it. Of course, we did save the world, but… priorities Sam, priorities.”

Sam laughed.


	11. Epilogue

Camile sat in her car and stared up at the house. She’d been there for almost twenty minutes. She had no reason to be nervous, and yet, she felt like she was about to go on her first date with Sharon all over again.

She jumped as there was a knock on her window. SHe looked to her left. “Oh--” The window knocker went back to the sidewalk and waited. Camile took a deep breath and got out of the car.

She stepped onto the sidewalk and started to speak, but before she could her lips were captured, arms pulling her close and Camile got lost in the familiar feel of the love of her life.

Finally they parted, although Sharon didn’t let go of her. “Why didn’t you come in?”

“I--”

Sharon smiled, “That reminds me. Don’t move-- I need to go kick out Sunshine and Betsey.”

Camile stood still for a moment before a smile came to her face, “Sunshine huh?”

There was a twinkle in Sharon’s eyes, “Don’t forget about Betsey-- she’s quite needy.”

Camile threaded her arm through Sharon’s, “I-I’m, I don’t know if I remember. If I remember how to do all this, if I’m going to do it all right and… honestly, none of this seems real right now. I’m scared that I’ll wake up and it’ll have been some aliens-- something or other.”

Sharon paused their walk up to the front door, “You don’t have any clothes or?”

Camile smiled softly to herself at the fact that Sharon was ignoring her ramblings, “No-- I just want-- I want to look over and see you, not have to imagine you. Even if it’s for one day, or for...”

“Shhhh Camile, this is real. Very real. You’re home.” They stepped through the front door and Camile closed it firmly, “Do you have plans?”

Sharon smiled, “At some point you should visit your parents. But me, for right now? No.”

Camile unbuttoned the top two buttons of Sharon’s shirt. “Good…”

oOOOOo

Orinda stumbled into the kitchen with a frown, “Do they-- I mean-- hell, we’re young and they’re old and yet--”

Cassandra handed Sammy to Orinda, “You’re grumpier in the mornings on Earth you know love.” Cassandra sat back, burping Johanna and watched as Sammy smiled up at Orinda. The Langaran was able to hold her grumpiness for mere moments before she smiled back at him. “TIme to switch.”

Orinda leaned over and stole a kiss before swapping Sammy for Johanna. “Where are your Moms?”

Cassandra rolled her eyes, “On the deck I think.”

oOOOOo

Sam sat on the wooden deck chair while Janet leaned back against Sam’s shoulder and chest. They’d watched the sunrise like that. “They’re both up-- everyone’s up.” Sam paused, “So-- I know my plan. There’s a motorcycle with my name on it that needs a lot of attention, not to mention a couple of books I have to write, not that they’ll ever be allowed to be published. And of course, there’s this gorgeous woman I need to adore for a bit…”

Janet laughed, “Bikes, Girls and Astrophysics?”

“Only one woman. But, yes.” Sam smiled, “So, you?”

“I’m not sure.” Janet turned just a bit so she could see Sam’s face, “What if I said that General Landry, I guess, technically it was higher up than him in the Air Force. Anyway, the General offered me my commission back. He wanted me back at the SGC. The military CMO again. I’m not sure how he’s going to work it out with regards to Doctor Lam, but…”

Sam was silent for a moment, “I’d say that I would worry every second of every day that you’re in that mountain, but I would also say that you love being a doctor and I’ve seen you working on the latest alien plague or invisible guys in a teams head, you love those things too.”

Janet put a hand over Sam’s heart, “I love you. I don’t w--”

Sam sat up and Janet turned so that they were face to face, “You stayed on Earth for how many years while I did things and went places much more dangerous.” Sam paused, “Just… no ships, no going into space…”

Janet finished Sam’s thought, “--or off world.” Janet kissed Sam, “But, I think that he, they, just asked me to have a hook into you.”

“Nah-- you haven’t really worked with General Landry have you?”

“No.”

“He’s not doing this for me-- he said he wanted you, he meant that.” She paused, “C’mon, let’s go see Sammy and Johanna. I never thought this would be me, but, I can’t get enough of them.”

Janet’s eyes twinkled, “Having idea.”

“Oh no… nope. Plus, too old.”

Janet chuckled, “Have you seen what we’ve seen Samantha Carter. You never know when someone on one of the teams will come upon a device that can solve the age problem, maybe even solve the two female problem.”

Sam sighed, “Maybe it’ll even look like an apple seed.”

Janet frowned, “What?”

Sam shook her head, “Never mind. In all seriousness, if you want…”

Janet put two fingers over Sam’s lips, “No. I was mostly kidding around. I love you, and I think having Cassandra for all those years was just enough parenting for one of my lifetimes…”

Sam smirked, “You love me. Even if I demand that you do stay barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen?”

Janet stood and pulled Sam up too, “You’re good Sam, not that good.”

Sam laughed as they entered the kitchen,m “I have many skills.”

Cassandra groaned, “Oh great, she’s doing her Xena thing. We’re doomed.”

Sam took her name sake from Cassandra, “Go, get some sleep. You too Orinda. We’ll…”

Janet spoke up, “Take the little ones out to see their new world.”

Cassandra opened and closed her mouth, “I don’t know.”

Janet was entirely serious as she spoke to her daughter, “I’m a doctor and you’re still alive, so, I must have done something right as a mother. And Sam here is a highly trained Air Force Officer and general genius. They will be in good hands Cassie. Really. Go. Get some sleep.”

Sam chimed in, “Or not.”

Cassandra turned so bright red she looked like she might spontaneously combust. “Sammm…”

Orinda handed Johanna to Janet, “Sounds good to me Doctor, Colonel.”

“Orinda. You can call me Janet.”

Sam was silent for a moment, “Yeah, you can call me Colonel.”

Orinda and Sam’s gazes locked for a long few moments, then Orinda shrugged, “That’d make a good title for one of your sitcoms. Janet and the Colonel.”

Sam spoke softly, “I was kidding about calling me Colonel, Sam is fine, but, I wasn’t kidding before about breaking Cassie’s heart.”

Orinda nodded, both Sam and Orinda were in their own world, ignoring the looks that were being thrown their way by their significant others. “And, I’m a fun girl Colonel, but I’m serious about this. About Cassandra. I even went against my mother’s wishes. No one knows the future, but I would very much like mine to be with Cassandra.”

Sam stared at Orinda for a long moment, then nodded. Then she jerked in surprise as Sammy was taken from her and Johanna was put in her arms by Janet, “What are-- oh, right, outside clothes.”

Cassandra looked a little panicked at those words, “Ah, Sam--”

Janet shook her head, “We’re going to go out and give you two some privacy, and Sam was just joking. Right Samantha?” Sam nodded at the appropriate time.

With that Janet maneuvered the two kids into the stroller with Sam’s help, and grabbed Sam’s hand dragging her from the house.

They walked down the street. It was a beautiful day. The sun shining, the air practically vibrating with life. “Where should we go?”

Sam thought about her answer, “How about the Library-- the one on South 8th Street? I don’t think I’ve read a fictional book in.. since I was a kid. I’m not even sure I know what I like to read anymore.”

Janet’s eyes twinkled, “Science Fiction?”

Sam laughed, “Oh no way. So..”

“Library it is.” Janet glanced over her shoulder, “Do you think they’re sleeping?”

“Would we be sleeping?”

“After being up all night with the twins. Yep.”

Sam stopped and knelt down in front of the stroller. She unhooked the very awake Johanna and picked her up. Sam’s phone rang and Janet pulled it from Sam’s back pocket. “It’s Cassie…” Janet answered and was about to say hello when some very distinct sounds came through the speaker.

Sam chuckled as Janet quickly hung up. “Nope. Not sleeping.”


End file.
